The Crime Branch (CB) team investigating the murders of Youth Congress workers Kripesh, 19, and Sarath Lal, 24, at Kallyot, near Periye, here on February 17 filed the chargesheet at the Hosdurg Judicial First Class Magistrate Court on Monday.
The youths had been hacked to death allegedly by Communist Party of India (Marxist) workers. The chargesheet said that though political workers were involved in the twin murders, personal enmity appeared to be the motive behind the crime. The chargesheet arraigns 14 people, all linked to the CPI(M), as accused in the case. According to the chargesheet, eight persons, including A. Peethambaran, a member of CPI(M)’s Periye local committee, were directly involved in the crime. Peethambaran, who had since been expelled from the CPI(M), is accused of being the conspirator and the main executioner.
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The remaining accused were charged with helping the alleged assailants to execute the crime. As many as 11 of the accused are in judicial custody.
Three others, including CPI(M) Udma area secretary K. Manikandan and Periye local secretary N. Balakrishnan, were charged with helping the accused destroy evidence and to escape.
The chargesheet was filed by Crime Branch Deputy Superintendent of Police Pradeep P.M., who was leading the investigation. The team had produced the vehicles purported to have been used by the accused.
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Meanwhile, the families of the slain youths reportedly dismissed the chargesheet as a farce.
The youths had been hacked to death because of their political activism, they said.
The CPI(M) wanted to send a message that workers of other parties did not have organisational freedom.